Kingdom Hearts: Door To Darkness
by kleptographer of alternates
Summary: A heartstrong boy who yearns for the unknown finds himself caught up in an adventure that will bring him to the end of himself. Slowly, however, he will have to learn that the heart can lie. But will the price for this knowledge be too much to bear? [Sorry, On Hiatus ATM]
1. Prologue: Truth From the Heart

K I N G D O M H E A R T S

**_Door To Darkness_**

**Author's Introduction:**** Alright, so recently I beat **_**Birth By Sleep **_**and then played through **_**358/2 Days **_**on my emulator, and I started thinking about **_**Kingdom Hearts **_**again and, of course, my favorite character Riku. I've looked around for a fanfic written from his POV which covers the events of the games but haven't found a good one that goes anywhere (If anybody knows of a really good, complete one let me know and I might not need to write this). Anyways, I've been inspired to write my own in anticipation of the upcoming **_**Dream Drop Distance **_**where Riku will FINALLY be a fully playable character ! For now, I'll just cover Riku's story through the first **_**Kingdom Hearts**_**. But later, if I'm successful, I may delve into the other games as well. We'll see. **

**Don't forget to leave me a constructive review letting me know what you fine people think. I really appreciate it!**

**As for updates, I really don't have any particular schedule in mind. Other than, I want to be finished in time for the release of **_**3D**_**.**

**Finally, warnings. I want to insert more of a sense of horror into the Heartless than they receive and the violence will be (hopefully) grittier and more realistic. And perhaps some light swearing as the story calls for it. After all, this _is _about Riku. It's gonna be darker.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>PROLOGUE:<em> Truth From the Heart<em>**

A gasp echoed through the still air, its sound seeming to reverberate forever out into the black nothingness at the edge of sight, its source a bewildered boy who stared at his impossible surroundings in wonder. His name was Riku. But as for where he was or how he had come here, the answers completely eluded him.

His turquoise gaze, catlike in its unblinking inquisitiveness, turned down to his large shoes which appeared to be resting on a floor made from brilliant stained glass, its diverse colored hues truly breathtaking. A flash of worry came across his face as he regarded his weight carefully, tentatively flexing his fingers.

_One wrong step and..._

If he wasn't mistaken, the facets fit together in a kind of mosaic, but the disc itself was so large that the picture couldn't be discerned from this vantage. He would have to be _much _higher.

His eyes caught a brief flash off to the side and when he turned to look he saw that a winding staircase of disconnected steps, seemingly held together by nothing but air, had appeared, leading down deeper into the nothing. "Did I-" his voice faltered for a moment.

He crept toward the edge, a thin gap of air separating the glass from the nearest floating step. Ah, it wasn't a disc after all, however. Staring down into the inky blackness, Riku could clearly see that he actually stood atop an enormous pillar, or maybe a tower, whose dark sides boasted long rows of its own stained glass.

Part of his uneasiness lay in the fact that he couldn't really see anything beyond the next step. It made the venture a blind trip. Running a hand along the back of his long platinum hair, he planted his shoe firmly across the gap on the first step, following with his other until he had descended the winding staircase to another pillar, far below the first, and likewise covered in beautiful arrays of stained glass and capped by an enormous mosaic. One thing he noticed, however, as his feet came to rest on glass once more, was that the hues of the colors had turned slightly darker than the first.

He looked around, still seeing nothing beyond the edges of the column.

"Now what?" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly a Voice, a presence, answered back, however.

_Take your time_

_Don't be afraid_

_The door is still shut_

There was no audible sound, merely an overwhelming, all consuming message in his mind. It felt so familiar though.

_The door? What door? _Riku heard his own thoughts echo. Was there a difference?

_Power lurks within you_

_If you give it form_

Suddenly three bursts of light appeared before his eyes, dissolving into stone pedestals above each of which floated a different weapon.

_Which would you choose?_

Without a hesitation, Riku strode up to the pedestal on the right, tightening his fingers around the pommel of a sword. He swung the blade in a slow arc through the air, smiling at the familiar sensation.

_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction._

But his stray gaze caught sight of the shield atop the center pedestal and he found himself drawn to it. Sword in hand, he walked over and slid his arm into the brace, lifting the shield into the air and scrutinizing its face.

_The power of the guardian_

_Kindness to aid friends_

_A shield to repel all_

His friends! More important to him than anything. How could he have forgotten?

_Do these give you the power you seek?_

Riku's eyes regarded the sword and shield he now bore one last time.

_Now what will you give up?_

_Just one left..._

Atop the pedestal on the left hovered the last armament-a brightly colored rod which seemed to emanate with a strange energy.

_The power of the mystic_

_Inner strength_

_A staff of wonder and ruin_

Its promise of mysteries and the strange and powerful energy he felt from it called out to Riku, however, and he became torn.

_Why can't I just take them all?_

_You must always give up something_

_Nothing worthy is ever without sacrifice_

He waited for more, but nothing further came. Hanging his head in resignation, he turned away from the rod and took a step back, sword and shield hanging loosely at his sides.

Suddenly the place shook violently as all three pedestals collapsed into the floor and dissolved from view. Riku bent his knees to remain balanced, looking from side to side as he waited for it to settle. Only...it didn't. Instead, however, the whole thing shattered just as he had feared and Riku found himself hurdling through the air amidst the shards of broken glass, falling into oblivion. He stretched out his arm to grasp for the column that should have been there, but it seemed to have disappeared.

Falling through the air, for how long he had no way of telling, he at last recognized the familiar glint of stained glass growing larger below him as it weaved in and out of his field of vision.

He braced his shielded arm in front of him as he slammed down onto this new column and immediately realized he'd made a mistake. Pain wracked his whole body and he could taste blood in his mouth as he staggered to his feet, his knuckles burning white from how tightly he had been gripping the sword. The colors in this glass were even darker than the last, Riku noted once more.

Shaking his head roughly, his eyes came to rest on his shadow and he froze. He wasn't alone. They didn't sway subtly as did his hair's jagged shadow, and neither did they stand still as did that of his legs. No, these other shadows _swam_, silent and flat along the floor, circling around him menacingly. The light which illuminated the glass only seemed to sink into their blackness, as if they were breaches torn in space.

As one the shadows emerged from the ground, taking a monstrous shape, and approached. Each had a round head with two long, twisted antennae sprouting from the top, along with clawed fingers and sharp feet, while leering, bulbous eyes projected a jaundiced glow.

_There will be times you have to fight_

Riku's eyes narrowed as he raised his sword and shield, lowering his body into a suitable fighting stance.

_Don't let the darkness consume you_

Not needing any further encouragement, the boy lunged forward for all he was worth at the monsters, bashing his shield into the face of the nearest as he spun his body around and slashed the sword through the face of another, its quivering appendages dissolving into bits which splayed across his clothes just as he reposed and thrust forward, the tip of his sword piercing clean through another. Exploiting his exposed opening, another slashed at him viciously with its claws, their touch like stinging ice. Ignoring the pain from his bleeding leg, he retracted it quickly, jumping forward behind the shadow and spinning his blade around into the creature two more times, driving it farther backward, before it went down into a pool of black fluid. The blood he had lost seemed to excite the creatures, however, and Riku braced himself.

Looking all around him, he noticed that the pools his strokes had reduced them too were merging to form a vast sea of darkness which grew to envelop the glass like mist. He took a wary step backward, fairly sure he _did not _want to touch that stuff, but he lost his footing as it fell through air, dragging him down into the blackness. First it reached only up to his knees, but the more he struggled and kicked his legs, the higher it seemed to rise. It quickly came to cover his mouth and he gagged, feeling like he was drowning , no, suffocating. And it was _so _cold. Finally, his eyes lost all sight as he was completely buried. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't even breathe.

As he thrashed about, he felt something beneath again, but still saw only darkness. At length he realized, he was clenching his eyes shut. That's why he couldn't see. Had he been doing that all along? Opening them once more, he found himself sprawled out on yet another stained glass floor. As he stood to his feet, quickly looking toward the air above suspiciously, he faced a set of soaring double doors, their faces adorned with ornate craft and workmanship. Suddenly they opened before him and the light streaming out hurt too much to look at, having been in this dim place for what seemed like so long now. He raised a hand to shield his face just as the powerful rays consumed him, making his skin feel like it was on fire. Was this agony worse than the cold? He couldn't pick.

When at last he could see again, he found himself on the thatched wood of a ship, surrounded by the gentle ocean breeze and clear blue skies. He knew this ship. He had played on it with his friends, hadn't he?

_First, tell me more about yourself_

Sitting idly along the rail was Selphie, wearing that skimpy yellow dress she liked to romp around the beach on. She was one of the kids that hung out with his friends on the island. But...she wasn't moving. Riku moved closer.

"What is most important to you," she said suddenly, catching him by surprise. Her voice sounded hollow and flat.

Riku said nothing. But Selphie merely continued to drill him with that eerie stare.

"Being the best," Riku decided finally.

"Being the best, huh? Is that such a big deal?" Selphie chided.

Taking a step back from her, Riku turned toward Tidus who stood off to the side.

"What are you afraid of?" Tidus asked. There was definitely something wrong here.

"I'm not afraid of anything," Riku countered firmly.

"Come on, everybody's afraid of _something_," Tidus challenged.

Riku looked down. "Then I guess...being indecisive," he admitted finally.

"Being indecisive," Tidus repeated. "Is that really so scary?" he countered.

Pursing his lips, Riku turned away, for some reason knowing better than to bother arguing with them. As he tried to leave, he was blocked by Wakka who stood at the bridge staring him down. Beyond him the island looked...weird. It was hazy-like a dream.

_Is that what this is? Just some dream... It feels so real_

"What do you want out of life?" Wakka asked, cradling his customary Blitzball in his arm.

"To broaden my horizons," Riku confessed.

"To broaden your horizons, huh?" Wakka nodded knowingly.

_You're afraid of being indecisive_

_Being the best is most important to you_

_You want to broaden your horizons_

Riku looked up expectantly.

_Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end._

_The night you will open the door is both far off and very near_

In the blink of an eye, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus faded away along with the old ship, replaced by another disjointed winding staircase which Riku found himself treading across carefully, heading still deeper into this strange world below. Predictably enough, after the last step lay another stained glass column. This one appeared empty though.

_The deeper you delve into darkness_

_The brighter your light shines_

Suddenly, Riku felt something from behind, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his body on edge. He turned around slowly to see his own shadow rise up out of the ground and take shape. And what a shape it was. It grew enormously tall, its arms growing thick and massive , with spindly legs and writhing, seething tentacles protruding from its head.

But Riku wasn't waiting around. Raising his sword, he jumped and slashed at the creatures hand, cutting into those thick fingers. The monster made a fist, however, and slammed it down into the floor, miraculously not shattering it. Riku was able to jump in time to avoid the shock wave, but the scratching of the shadows the thing had summoned proved more annoying.

Having little choice, and even less room to fight after the arrival of this giant, Riku swung his sword as fast and hard as he could-slashing, bashing, thrusting into the thing's shadowy hide. His diligence appeared to be making it reconsider its assault. Well, up to a point anyway.

Without a sound, the creature arched its back in a way that looked just painful, and it was then that Riku noticed the gaping hole missing from its chest, where the heart should be.

But he had even less time now to contemplate this mystery, as a barrage of burning globes blasted towards him, swirling with darkness. Just in time, he raised his shield, the orbs bursting against its surface and engulfing him in their heat. Unwilling to suffer further discomfort, however, Riku struck the next orb streaking towards him right back into the face of the monster, melting its face into an inky drizzle as its eyes smouldered in rage.

"Now I've done it," Riku muttered, rolling out of the way to dodge another slam from the thing's giant fist. It was weakening, he could feel it, though he wasn't quite sure how.

Tiring of the exchange, Riku kicked off the glass and vaulted into the air, slashing downward with all his might across the beast's shoulder. He continued reposing in circles, using the momentum from his spins to power his merciless attacks. Hooking onto its arm, the boy swung around its elbow and slid down its arm, severing the fingers clean off on the way down in a splurge of smoke.

Landing squarely on his feet, Riku seriously doubted the thing could take much more. Suddenly, however, his weapons disappeared in a flash of light which left Riku stranded, searching his surroundings frantically.

_That's not fair!_ his mind raged.

The giant stepped forward, the distance it covered closing every other gap of escape. Suddenly it a pool of darkness spread beneath him from its feet just like before, engulfing Riku's body and pulling him down as it crawled all over him, searching for a way in. He struggled and kicked all the while as its monstrous face stooped down close. _Too _close, those sickly yellow eyes looking as if they were searching for a meal. Now _there _was a thought he didn't want to think about. Of course, he couldn't think about much of anything right now anyways.

_Don't be afraid_

_You hold the mightiest weapon of all_

_And don't forget_

_You are the one who will open the door to darkness_

Riku bolted upright, but he forgot where he was and almost fell off of his tree, catching it with both hands and pulling himself back up shakily. When he had regained his balance, he leaned his head against its smooth, worn trunk. He ran a hand through his jagged platinum locks and it returned thick with sweat. Oh that's right. He had come here to take a break from working on the raft all day. "Guess I must have fallen asleep then."

Oddly, however, he didn't feel particularly grateful to be back. No it was something else. He almost looked disappointed.

_Restless_, he decided.

"Just a dream? It felt so..." his voice trailed off. "The door?" he intoned suddenly. A memory came back then. Something the years had pushed out of his mind.

_"Outside this tiny world, is a much bigger one. In your hand take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, it's wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."_

He had waited for that power for so long. But it never came. He had given up on it, and given in to the distractions of a teenager. He stared out at the sea, savoring the gentle breeze which carried the spray to his face. He watched the rolling waves crashing against the shoreline, receding back in trails of white foam, and sighed.

Riku's shoe absently kicked a log laying near his tree, and his eyes brightened up. Stooping down, he easily hefted the large log up and tucked it under his arm.

"Well I won't have to wait anymore," he reminded himself. He had already been to every one of the islands out here, exploring dozens of tiny shores over the years. "Soon I'll find out for myself what's beyond there."

His gaze shifted away from the horizon and back to his little island. It was the tiniest of the Destiny Islands, little more than a playground for kids from the other, larger islands, really. It had its own small shack built into a treehouse and the remains of an old ship.

His eyes came to rest on the sleeping form of his best friend Sora down there on the beach with his mouth agape, his feet washed by the rolling waves. Riku smirked to himself. "Slacking off again, huh?" he muttered. So that's there he had been hiding while Riku did all the work on their raft. He grinned, however, as he spied their friend Kairi tiptoeing up behind the boy.

Eager to join them, he turned and ran back from his tiny outcrop across the bridge, forgoing the shack and jumping down to the sand below, landing near a small waterfall and a shallow pool. He hung back for a moment, however, as something Sora was saying to Kairi caught his ear.

"Say, Kairi, what was your home town like?" his friend asked the young girl. "You know the place you grew up."

The girl smiled as she looked out towards the sea. "I've told you before, I don't remember," she answered with a slight chuckle.

"Nothing...at all?" Sora pressed.

"Nothing," Kairi affirmed, and Riku thought her voice sounded a bit sad.

"You ever want to go back?" Sora replied.

"Well...I'm happy here," Kairi decided quickly

"But you know," she continued. "I wouldn't mind going to see it," she said, turning to face him, her deep blue eyes sparkling.

Riku smiled. She was so adorable at this age.

"I'd like to see it too," Sora agreed. "Along with any other worlds out there," the boy affirmed, adding with a dreamy smile, "I want to see them all."

Riku nodded with a smile as he strode forward toward his friends into the sunlight.


	2. The Boy Who Would Be Free

**Author's Notes: Alright, I got another chapter out. It seems I have to be in the right frame of mind to do these with real substance. I want to thank _Life Is No Fairytale _for my first review on this fic ever-hopefully the first of many if I deserve it. We'll see. I also want to make sure to do a good job with characterization so if you fine people wouldn't mine letting me know if you think I'm doing it right or not, that'd be great. And one more thing, because everybody's played this game already, I know some of this we'll be a rehash, but I want you all to know that while there will by necessity be material from the game in here, my intention is also to present all new material as Riku's story in the game is kind of only a series of highlights, leaving a lot of room for fertile imagination. And that includes new Square characters and possibly Disney worlds that weren't shown in the first game. I hope. **

**One more thing. I'm writing this in a more conversational style than my other fics, as I'm telling it from Riku's perspective, although it's still in first person. I hope nobody's put off by that. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 1:<em> The Boy Who Would Be Free<em>**

Striding towards them from behind, Riku called out, "Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about _me_?"

As one, Kairi and Sora turned toward the familiar voice of their friend in surprise to see Riku standing there expectantly, the large log still tucked under one of his arms, their muscular contours exposed by the sleeveless gold and black top he wore.

"So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft," he taunted with a grin, tossing the heavy log at Sora like it was nothing for good measure.

"Woah!" the boy exclaimed, struggling to catch it, but failing as it only took him down to the sand with it.

Not breaking his gaze for an instant, Riku marched right up to Kairi and put his hands on his hips in mock disapproval, leaning his head forward and staring her down. "And _you're _just as lazy as he is," he continued.

Kairi smiled, rubbing the back of her deep red head sheepishly. "So you noticed," she replied with a devious grin. Thinking fast, she suddenly spread her arms wide and announced with youthful enthusiasm, "Alright, We'll finish it together!"

Riku plopped down in the sand beside Sora, propping his knee up and resting his elbow upon it.

"I'll race you," Kairi challenged.

"Huh?" Sora mumbled, finally focused on the present again.

"What, are you kidding?" Riku protested, sounding rather bored. He had just spent hours working on their raft all by himself and now she wanted him to dash across the beach?

Kairi merely chuckled in response, and shouted "READY?"

Riku and Sora had been watching each other this whole time, waiting for so much as a twitch of movement out of the corners of their eyes and trying very hard not to look it.

"GO!"

In an instant, the two had sprung to their feet and were dashing across the wet, sandy shoreline.

Grinning, Riku glanced over at Sora, who looked absolutely determined to beat him at this race.

_I get it, Kairi's watching him today._

Laughing to himself at Sora's seriousness, he turned his attention straight ahead once more.

A ways behind, Kairi followed after her friends, giggling the whole time with glee at their exertion.

Riku decided to put everything he had into that run, his legs already burning as he drove his arms forward, kicking up clouds of sand in his quake. It seemed like he was gonna come out on top as usual, but Sora surprised him today.

At last the pair finally broke down in front of the old shack, collapsing to their knees and clutching their stomachs. Riku threw his head back and shook the sweat out of his hair once more.

_A draw? He really put up a fight this time... Tsk, just because of Kairi_

Sora turned his face back to Riku and grinned triumphantly.

Riku rolled his eyes.

"Alright, it's a draw!" Kairi announced as she caught up. "You know what _that _means."

An audible groan could be heard escaping the throats of Riku and Sora then as the two stood to their feet.

"Riku, what else do you need to finish up the raft?" Kairi asked, turning towards him. She probably hadn't strained at all.

"Well..." Riku thought about the question. "Let's see. I could use some more rope, cloth and maybe another log or two," he decided.

"Alright, Sora why don't you gather the rest of the supplies while Riku finishes up with the raft," Kairi instructed, suddenly in charge.

"Huh?" Sora blurted out suddenly, apparently spacing out again.

"Ugh! Are you even listening to me," Kairi demanded.

"Y-Yeah," Sora stammered. "What was that again?"

Riku smiled to himself as he left the two to their little squabble, heading around towards the other side of the island where he had secured their raft. _His _raft, really. About the only thing those two had really done so far was gibber excitedly about all the places they'd sail to once it was finished.

As Riku examined the unfinished raft, he felt pretty confident he could have it completed in time. Preparing himself, he drew out the saw he had borrowed from the main island and climbed up onto the raft, getting to work on the rough wood.

"Who made her the boss anyway?" Riku grumbled to himself.

After an hour or so, he had fashioned the rope into a hoist, using it to lift the main mast into place, and tightened the binding around the base to make it sturdier if they encountered strong waters.

"There," he muttered wiping the sweat away from his forehead.

"Riku!" a voice called out from across the beach. Turning to look, he saw it was TIdus, carrying his redwood stick as he trudged through the sand towards him.

"Yeah?" Riku asked simply, knowing exactly what that stick meant.

"You just got lucky the other day against me," the boy boasted, swinging his stick through the air for effect. "But there's no _way _you can take on Selphie and Wakka too."

Riku's turquoise eyes glanced towards the raft for a brief moment. He had done his part, hadn't he? "You three against me?" Riku repeated.

"That's right. Your time as champion is over," Tidus declared.

"Oh, really?" Riku taunted. "And who's going to replace me? _You_? I don't think so."

The look on Tidus' face in that moment was priceless-his fury and desperation turning it a deep shade of red. "Grrr...I'll show you!" he snarled, shaking that stick with rage. "Selphie! Wakka! Get over here and help me teach this punk a lesson!"

"You're on," Riku agreed finally, having had his fun. It was time to defend his title now. "But I'll be taking _you _out first," he added, pointing his finger at the young man threateningly.

Riku was sure a gulp escaped Tidus' throat then, but he tried hard to look tough.

Leaving his raft, Riku joined Selphie and Wakka in a clear part of the beach near the pier, drawing the wooden sword from his belt and holding it out, slightly extended from his abdomen.

After the three had taken position-Selphie with her jump rope, Wakka with his blitzball and Tidus with that redwood stick-a tense silence settled over the beach, interrupted only by the breaking waves.

"Let's get him!" Tidus shouted, rallying the other two to strike.

"Show me your stuff," Wakka goaded, spinning his blitzball on his finger.

"Don't hold back," Selphie chimed in, tightening her jump rope.

But Riku didn't wait. He rushed forward towards Tidus, sword prepared to strike. The cocky boy scrambled to bring his stick down in a feeble attempt to ward him off, but was instead deflected by Riku's own blow, the shock reverberating down his entire arm. _No _kid on the islands hit like Riku. Still, Tidus tried twice more, gritting his teeth as he was blocked each time.

"My turn!" Riku snarled, kicking into the air and bringing the wooden sword down hard on Tidus' shoulder. Before the boy could counter, however, Riku followed it up with a lunge, delivering a firm strike into his gut, knocking him backwards to ensure that Tidus would have something to recover from whilst he dealt with the others.

Just then Wakka's blitzball came soaring through the air, aimed straight for his head. Reacting instantly, Riku spun around and swatted the ball away-straight back into Wakka's head.

"Hey!" Wakka exclaimed, ignoring the pain as he dove to snatch up the ball again.

Selphie took a swing at him with her jump rope, but Riku merely ignored her for the moment and ran past to go after Tidus again. The boy jumped up and swung down that stick, its arc bringing it all the way into the sand, striking up a cloud of dust.

_If his moves weren't so predictable..._

"Rrrah!" Tidus growled in frustration, as Riku dodged the blow and spun around behind him, slashing him hard across the legs and following it up with a lunge into his back.

It was all Tidus could do to hold onto his stick as his body was thrown forward. He clenched his fist in rage, shaking his head roughly. As Riku came for him again, once more avoiding Selphie's jump rope, Tidus backflipped to escape the reach of Riku's strike before rolling forward and delivering his own. An impressive maneuver to be sure, but Riku was too fast and the blow meant for him ended up connecting with Wakka's face, spinning him around.

Riku seized the clumsy opportunity to follow up with another strike to Tidus' back. But as he knocked him out of the way it left him open to a recovered Wakka who threw his blitzball just as Selphie raised her jump rope beside him.

_Only one way out of this one..._

Thinking fast, Riku kicked his legs out from beneath him, his back hitting the sand hard as the ball just barely missed its mark. "Come on!" Riku goaded, pushing off with his back to spring back up, his extended legs ramming hard into Selphie's chest as she was knocked to the ground, winded. She would've probably cried out in pain, but she was finding it hard to even breathe at first.

_She'll be alright..._

Curving around to avoid Wakka's blitzball again, Riku came after Tidus on the shoreline, their shoes catching the wet stand in their tread. Tidus rushed forward with a quick strike, but this time Riku jumped over him, turning his body in midair to position himself directly behind him.

"You still don't got it," Riku taunted.

Enraged, Tidus came at him again, slamming his stick hard against Riku's, who guarded as he waited for the right moment. But this time, Tidus backflipped away, expecting the blow, just as Selphie came rushing towards them with her jump rope again, apparently recovered.

_So he did learn something... He'll try to attack at the same time as her to divide me... Tsk, hiding behind a girl?_

Not giving him the chance, Riku spun around and struck Selphie across the legs, the blow turning the spot almost purple.

"Aww!" she protested.

"TAKE THIS!" Wakka shouted as he vaulted into the air and threw his blitzball towards him with both hands.

Jumping into the air, Riku knocked the thing right back into Wakka's face, bowling him over into the sand, no doubt dazed. But the maneuver had also spared him Tidus' attack who had rushed up from behind him to strike, only to miss and hit Selphie instead.

"Ow!" Selphie protested, falling backward.

Landing squarely behind Tidus, Riku slashed his wooden sword downward across his exposed back, following it up with another spinning strike.

_It's amazing what these kids can take..._

With that, Tidus was thrown back to the sand and down for the count and Riku reposed to parry with Selphie hot on his tail. He jumped behind her and struck down across her back, just before swatting away another of Wakka's blitzballs.

_He's getting tiresome..._

Running forward, Riku vaulted over Wakka, who swung his arms around to try and repel him, but was parried and struck hard across the jaw. Both feet firmly planted on the sand once more, Riku spun forward, knocking Wakka across the gut and following up with a lunge.

The sustained blows from his own blitzball as well as Riku's now relentless assault on him alone seemed to discourage Wakka and he raised his hands in surrender.

"I give, I give," he repeated in his thick island accent.

At last Riku allowed himself a breath as he slid the wooden sword back into his belt.

"I can't believe we lost," Tidus said from his knees, shaking his head dejectedly as he hit the sand with his fist.

"Thanks for the great time, Riku," Selphie called, giving a suggestive wink as she blew him a kiss.

Riku could only shake his head. There was no doubt about it, these kids had a weird way of playing. Leaving them to rub their sore limbs in peace, he took a stroll along the beach, wondering where Sora had slacked off too again. Probably giggling somewhere with Kairi.

_Kairi_. The girl had come to the islands a few years ago seemingly out of nowhere. Though dazed and with no memory of where she came from, the islanders quickly fell in love with the sweet little girl, and the mayor himself adopted her as his daughter. Back on the main island, Kairi was the celebrity. All the girls wanted to be friends with her and all the guys their age thought she was cute.

Now that he thought about it, Riku kind of wondered how he and Sora had gotten so lucky with her. But then again, Riku was no outcast himself. Despite his pretty much empty family life, Riku was looked up to by kids on multiple islands for his skills. Blitzball, fighting, running, swimming. Whatever it was, Riku seemed to be the best at it around. And he defended that title vigorously. But though he knew he held such popularity, he never really got caught up in it. He was always an inward-looking child, prone to going off by himself and brooding. He had quite the active mind and his cool and collected manner only served to add to his mystique among the kids on the islands.

To tell the truth though, at first Riku didn't like Kairi. Well, maybe that was unfair to say. It wasn't anything about her, really. He was just put off by the constant attention the people around him lavished on the girl, attention they weren't paying his conquests. But things really came to a head when Sora, his best friend and probably his biggest challenger, started hanging out with her.

Riku could clearly see what Sora's interest was in the pretty girl, even if the kid was still too naive or shy to admit it. It drove him crazy how dense the kid could be! And Riku made sure not to let him forget it either, constantly pulling little pranks to embarass him in front of her. Sometimes though he wasn't sure what he himself felt towards her though. She was one of his best friends and he was always trying to look out for her and felt like it was his duty to protect her and Sora should it ever come to it but...was there something more? He wasn't sure. Riku shook his head, choosing not to think about it right now. Why complicate things? They would soon be done with this place for good-free to explore all kinds of things together.

When he had actually started joining in with their conversations, Riku quickly became fascinated by her too. She wasn't like anybody he had ever met on the islands. And as he inquired about her past and her strange and sudden appearance, he began to suspect she might really be from another world-another horizon that he longed to leave this place and see.

Still though, the deciding factor came when Sora went behind his back and showed Kairi their "secret place". Riku's feet came to a stop as he stared at the small entrance into the base of a huge tree near the waterfall, thick with overgrown brush. For so long the musty hollow within had been his and Sora's special place which no one else knew about. But, of course, he had to go and show Kairi. And a girl at that! It had forced Riku then and there to choose whether to accept her presence in their friendship. Obviously, he did and the three had been pretty much inseparable since. In truth, he didn't really want either of them to be _with _Kairi like that. She was both of theirs.

How long had it been since he'd been there, Riku wondered absently as his feet carried him to the small dugout. Quickly checking around to make sure no one was watching, probably a force of habit, Riku slipped inside the tree and trudged down into the dark bowels of its huge roots.

_It really has been a while since anybody's been down here..._

He paused at the "wall" where he and Sora had etched tons of little pictures with chalk, running his gloved hand over the smooth surface. Gnarled, twisted roots ran up the length of its surface whilst thick cobwebs now hung down in between the corners. So many memories...so long ago it seemed.

_"Hey Sora."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!"_

_"Sure. But...isn't there something fun we can do now? Hey! You know the new girl at the mayor's house? She arrived on the night of the meteor shower!"_

Ugh, what was he doing here still? He had been so ready. Why couldn't Kairi and Sora be more serious about this stuff? Maybe he was just different. Unlike them, there was nothing for him here anymore. His dear mother had passed away when he was still young. As for his father, they weren't even close anymore. Riku tried to remember. There may have been a time but...not since _she _had gone anyway. It was just boring now...the same thing every day. No more real challenges. No more real adventure. And all the adults on the main island with their stupid rules. What good were they? Staying here any longer was just a waste of time.

His gaze shifted, however, and he froze.

_The door! Can it be?_

At the far end of the hollow stood a curious structure, that Riku and Sora had long ago given up on understanding. It was a large door with no knob. It appeared to be made from an old wood and it wouldn't budge at all. Try as they might, neither Riku nor Sora had ever figured out why there would be a door beneath a tree or who might have built it.

_You are the one who will open the door to darkness..._

_Maybe there's a-_

_-_"Riku!" he could hear the faint sound of someone calling his name up above.

"Sora?" he muttered, reluctantly tearing himself away from the mysterious door to make his way back out of the hollow. Climbing up into the warm glow of the afternoon sun, a deep burnt orange reflected beautifully off the waves, he brushed the cobwebs and dust off of his clothes, climbing up the shack to take the rickety bridge back to his little island. He loved watching the sunset from the paopu tree, its long, drooping trunk forming the perfect seat.

As he walked beneath the leaves of the trees above, he stared at the various star-shaped paopu fruits hanging up there amidst the winding branches. A very rare plant, the paopu only seemed to grow near the very tops of the trees, making it difficult to spot and even harder to collect. On the islands, the local lore was that if two people shared the fruit, their destinies became intertwined. Riku didn't know how much stock he put in such tales, but he found it drawing his heart away from the unknown and back to his friends. If he shared one with them...would they be together forever? No matter what? He eyed the star-shaped fruit skeptically.

_It doesn't look too high up..._

-"There you are, Riku," he heard the familiar voice of Sora call out behind him, his large shoes creaking as he crossed the bridge over to the tiny outcrop.

"Did you get everything we need for the raft?" Riku asked. "I already gave my stuff to Kairi."

"Yeah, I got it all," Sora replied. In his hand he was gripping the other sword. A few years ago, Riku and Sora had each made a wooden sword, shaping the bark together and everything, and they had been sparring with them ever since. Sora's was the companion to his own.

_Oh, don't tell me him too..._

"Hey, are you guys at it again?" Kairi demanded as she came climbing up the ladder they had hung from the side of the one of the trees, her shoes soaked from the shallow waves.

Both Riku and Sora immediately straightened up, whatever it was they were thinking about gone from their minds as a single thought replaced it.

_Kairi wants to watch!_

Sora turned towards her and flashed a big smile, his deep blue eyes reflecting off of hers.

"Hey, Sora, how about a quick round?" Riku offered, drawing his sword and motioning his hand, his eyes glancing off of its edge to check for any damage accrued during the fight with Tidus, Wakka and Selphie.

_Four fights and a race all in one day, plus all the time I've spent working on the raft..._

"Huh? Okay, you're on!" Sora reacted, glancing toward Kairi nervously as he pulled out his own sword, readying himself as best he could.

_Scared to mess up in front of your girlfriend, Sora?_

"This one decides the champion," Riku exclaimed, his catlike eyes narrowing.


	3. A Stranger's Tale

**Author's Note: I'm pleasantly surprised by how basically steady this is going so far. The real challenge for me will be creating an exciting storyline for later chapters not covered in as much detail by the game. But I'll do my best, though updates might take a bit longer. Where are my reviews though people? I mean, if the story sucks I understand, but I thought I might have at least a bit more from people by now. It's just nice to know what people think is all. Ah well, perhaps almost everybody, like me knows how these kinds of fics tend to stagnate and die after a certain point and you're afraid this will wind up the same way and thus don't feel like expending any energy on it till you see different. If so, that's understandable enough. I'll try not to let you down.**

But if you have questions or comments, once again, leave a review and I will respond. Thanks.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3:<strong>_**A Stranger's Tale**_

"Ready or not!" Riku said, slapping the edge of the wooden sword against his palm. The rules of the game were simple: whoever lasts the longest wins. It required a skillful blend of finesse, strength and resistance to getting beat with a stick repeatedly, of course.

Sora bent his knees, gripping the hilt of his "sword" tightly with both hands, no doubt preparing himself for the inevitable clash.

_Never get anywhere stiff like that..._

Vaulting into the air, Riku dove over Sora's head, evading the reach of his first swing, while reposing behind him to deliver his own with a rapid spin. Sora had jumped forward as well, however, narrowly escaping Riku's attack.

Now facing each other once more, Riku struck out just as Sora lunged forward, the force of the collision knocking them both backward.

Sora swung at him again, but Riku parried it with his spin, using the momentum to slash at him once more while his blade was knocked away. But his attack narrowly missed as Sora sank lower, quickly bashing Riku in his exposed ribs and following it up with a firm lunge to his gut and a spinning slash across his chest.

"Rrrah!" Riku grunted, staggering backwards.

_Am I just worn out from everything else today? Feels like a welt is already forming... Focus!_

It was true, Sora was a lot stronger than the kids that usually came at him. After all, he had been fighting Riku since they were little. _Something_ was bound to rub off. Fights with him were actually a workout. But it was more than that, Riku decided. _She _was watching. His gaze shifted briefly towards Kairi for a moment, who sat on the bridge watching their battle nervously with those beautiful deep blue eyes.

"Come on, Riku!" Kairi called out.

Jumping to avoid further attack from Sora, Riku's shoes landed hard amidst a burst of white sand, while Sora put some distance between them, holding his sword across his back as he ran.

"What, giving up already?" Riku taunted him, his sword in a relaxed hold just above his shoulder as he beckoned with his free hand.

"As if!" Sora scoffed, spinning on his heels and rushing toward Riku, preparing his strike as he ran. Throwing all his weight into a lunge, Sora's face turned from determination to regret as he hit nothing but air, Riku kicking his legs out from beneath to fall to his back. And that could only mean one thing. With Sora already overcommitted, Riku sprang back up, his legs ramming hard into the boy's chest, winding him.

_He fell for it_

"Come on!" Riku pressed, now standing behind Sora.

Despite the ache in his chest, though, Sora quickly threw a clumsy swing back towards him, but Riku simply jumped forward, dodging the blow.

"You can take him, Sora!" Kairi shouted.

"Hey!" Riku exclaimed, turning around. "Who's side are you on, anyway?"

Kairi giggled guiltily. "I wonder," she said with a devious smile. Her face was blushing, however, betraying the cool attitude she displayed.

Riku rolled his eyes as he spun around and struck out towards Sora, who jumped backward to avoid it, mimicking Riku's earlier maneuver.

_He's starting to get flighty... I don't wanna have to chase him around the tree all night... How can I end this?_

But Sora made the mistake rushing forward without an opening and Riku's backhanded strike caught him right across the chin, slapping his head backwards as he struggled to stand. His eyes looked watery as they narrowed in rage, warm blood trickling down his neck.

Riku jumped backwards and held his sword out as Sora's slammed into the sand, striking up a burst of dust. He could feel the sweat being shaken out of Sora's messy hair as he came at him once more, bringing the sword down on Riku's again and again, trying to break his block.

"My turn!" Riku snarled, slapping Sora's sword out of the way as he jumped up and slammed it down into his shoulder, spinning his whole body around as he fell to one knee, barely even gripping the sword. But the kid recovered fast and his arm came flying back at Riku, just barely missing as he jumped away.

Riku could tell Sora was getting mad. _Really _mad.

Riku slashed forward, but the blow collided with Sora's hammer strike, their wrists numbing from the blow. Once more jumping over Sora to evade his follow up attack, Riku balanced on the trunk of his favorite paopu tree, his sword hanging loosely at his side.

"You still don't got it," Riku chided, shaking his head. Sora was running at him, carrying his sword across his back. Rather than risk falling into the water below, Riku jumped back into the sand, just barely blocking Sora's blow from above as he jumped and struck down at him.

Riku countered with a wide slash which hit Sora across the chest and then jumped to the side to avoid the retaliatory strike. The kid had been hitting the sand an awful lot today.

Sora doubled back in a short circle around one of the trees but was met by a backhanded strike from Riku's sword.

"Gah!" Sora gasped, his lungs burning from the exertion.

Once more the pattern repeated itself, Riku jumping backwards after his first strike while Sora vaulted into the air to deliver an uppercut. Today just wasn't Sora's day, it seemed.

Landing on one knee, Riku watched Sora carefully as he fell back to the sand, who turned around and ran away.

"What are you afraid of?" Riku called out.

But the maneuver had only been to trick him. Sora reposed rapidly, throwing his weight into another strike, once more faced with a guarding blade which parried the blow, however. Another desperate lunge only garnered the same result.

His feet shuffling along a circle, Sora kept Riku busy whilst he forced him across, catching him around the bend of the tree and landing another strike on his arm. Not wasting the opportunity, he followed it up with a fierce lunge straight into Riku's gut.

Riku clenched his teeth at the pain, using every ounce of focus to throw himself backwards to the ground. The impact on his back was hard to be sure, but it was a lot better than taking anymore blows from Sora's stick. He didn't manage to hit him often, but when he did, it hurt like hell.

_It's over_

Once more, Riku sprang back to his feet, using his legs like a battering ram. Only this time, Sora dove to the side, evading the blow.

"Go, Sora!" Kairi cheered, raising her arms.

_Damn!_

They ran in opposing circles for a moment, neither one ready for the other's strike. Riku delivered a quick one, hoping to Sora off guard, but he dodged it. Losing track of his surrounding though, he ran into the trunk of the tree, hurriedly shaking off the pain from his shoulder as he avoided another of Riku's spinning strikes. He swung hard into Riku's chest, however, causing the young man to hop back onto the paopu trunk for a breath.

Upon reentering the fray, Riku landed squarely in front of another tree, managing to knock away Sora's lunge who had been waiting for him there. Sora evaded his spinning strike, knocking him to his back with a downward slash which Riku turned into another springing kick.

This time, however, Sora had no time to evade and Riku's shoes kicked hard into his ribs as he barreled through him back to his feet. He staggered for a moment, shaking his head as his vision blurred.

_How much more can he take?_

Holding his stomach, Sora ran away, pursued by Riku who followed him around the few trees which littered the small outcropping. Seeing he wouldn't escape him, Sora spun on his heels and struck out hard, meeting Riku's at the same time in a shower of splinters. There were definitely notches forming in those swords.

In such a close quarters struggle, Sora dazed Riku with a blow to the chin, following it up with a lunge and a backhanded strike which knocked him to the ground. Grunting from the pain, Riku pushed his hands forward and struck out, once more catching Sora in the deadly path of his legs, this time in his lower back though. He recovered quickly enough, however, coming at him again with a barrage of strikes which Riku blocked and parried, waiting for a chance to counterattack.

But Sora knew better than to wait for that, seeming to adopt a hit and run strategy as he turned on his heels and dashed away, taking Riku around the trees again. When Riku lunged forward and missed, Sora spun around and swung his weapon down into a block.

Rather than waste time with a counterattack though, Riku jumped around behind him, evading Sora's reach and reposing with a spinning strike. The attack missed, however, as Sora ran forward, doubling back for a quick lunge into Riku's chest. Trying for another blow to his ribs, Riku fell backward and kicked up, but Sora had had enough of those shoes and ran sideways to avoid the rebound. He came down again where Riku stood, but went wide as Riku jumped behind him and delivered a backhanded strike, just missing Sora who doubled back to take out an overextended Riku.

_I'll just have to take it in order to come out on top_

He didn't even deflect the blow as Sora's stick whacked him upside the head. But Sora had made the mistake of over committing to his lunge again, and this time when Riku's back hit the sand and he sprang up, his legs firmly connected with Sora's ribs, pushing through him to land on his feet whilst Sora fell to the sand hard, solidly beaten.

"Ohhhhhh," Sora groaned in pain as he pushed himself up shakily. He put a hand out as if to say, "No more," but was finding it hard to breathe. His ribs were probably aching by now.

"Here," Riku said breathlessly, offering a sweaty hand to pull the boy up. He was feeling it too.

"Sora! Are you okay?" Kairi exclaimed, rushing towards the prostrate boy and throwing her arms around him gently.

_What? I win the match and Kairi goes over to him? Figures_

Sora's head fell to a slump as his defeat settled in. "Now the score's 0 to 1," he complained, kicking up a clod of sand in frustration. He felt Kairi against him, however, and smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it, Sora," Riku said comfortingly. "You'll get stronger. After all," he added, barely able to contain his laughter. "Tidus will always be around for you to beat on!" he blurted out.

"What?" Sora exclaimed, his face red. "Say that again!"

But Riku just smiled.

"You guys really went at it today," Kairi mused. "You weren't just putting on a good show for me right?" she asked in mock suspicion.

"Huh?" Sora muttered in confusion, but before he could say more, Riku interjected.

-"You're right. Sora only let me beat him so he could win a hug from you," Riku explained matter-of-factly. "Right, Sora?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Hey, that's not-" Sora protested.

Riku threw his head back for a good long laugh, at Sora's expense, of course. And Kairi couldn't help but giggle herself.

"Hey you guys," Kairi asked suddenly, pointing out at the horizon. "Let's watch the sunset together!"

"Alright," Sora agreed as the pair plopped down on Riku's leaning paopu tree.

_Did they always sit so close?_ Riku wondered.

Riku joined them and leaned back against the trunk, his arms folded across his chest as he stared out at the sea, the setting sun's rays turning the waves a deep orange. He had been doing a lot of that this past week.

An audible sigh escaped the throats of Sora and Kairi as they watched the dwindling light contentedly. Riku glanced down at this arms, purple welts forming in a few places as well as a fresh scab on his shoulder.

"So..." Sora began uncertainly. "Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?"

"Could be," Riku said simply, never taking his eyes from the horizon. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora asked skeptically, leaning his head out for a look at Riku.

"Who knows?" Riku admitted with a wave of his hand, shaking his head slightly. "If we have to, we'll think of something else," he offered.

"So, suppose you get to another world," Kairi chimed in. "Hehe, what would you do there?" she asked with a giggle, giddy with excitement as she dangled her legs over the water below.

Riku opened his mouth to speak but realized there were no words. "Hmm..." he muttered simply. "Well, I haven't really thought about it," he admitted finally. "It's just...I've always wondered why we're here on _this _island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on _this _one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something _much_ greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" he explained wistfully, turning to face his friends for the first time since they had sat down.

"I don't know," Sora shrugged, swinging his legs up as he laid his down on the trunk.

"Exactly," Riku said pointedly, a little deflated by Sora's apparent disinterest. "That's why we need to go out there and find out." He pushed off from the trunk and strode over to the edge of the tiny outcrop. Restless. "Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff," he continued, shaking his head. "So let's go."

Kairi looked toward Riku, her face concerned. "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" she asked softly.

"Thanks to you," Riku agreed, turning towards her. Why did her eyes look sad? "If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully, turning her attention back to the sunset once more. A twilight haze had already settled over the sky.

"Well, I'm tired, let's call it a night," Sora mumbled, dropping down from the branch and back to the sand.

"Yeah, it _is_ getting late. We'll finish up tomorrow," Kairi agreed, jumping down to follow him.

"Sora!" Riku called out as he followed behind, stopping him to let Kairi go past. She glanced backward to see what was up, but continued on nonetheless.

As Sora turned to face him, Riku threw the paopu fruit he had been saving to him. Sora scrambled to catch it, holding it out from his chest in bewilderment.

"You wanted one. Didn't you?" Riku asked, pointing toward the star-shaped fruit.

"A paopu fruit?" Sora mumbled with distaste.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," Riku reminded the young man, striding past him across the bridge. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. C'mon, I _know _you want to try it," he teased with a wave of his hand.

"What are you talking-" Sora demanded, holding the thing away like it was a dead animal or something.

But Riku just laughed to himself as he continued walking away, taking off in a run back to the shack to catch up with Kairi on the beach below.

Grabbing his oar, Riku hopped into one of the small boats near the pier, quickly undoing the knot and pushing off, setting the boat out into deeper water. Leaning back, he sunk the oar into the waves, pulling it back repeatedly to gain momentum.

He could see Sora and Kairi nearby in their boats, trailing behind him. He smiled back at them before returning his attention to the approaching landmass. "Hey, remember-get back here as early as you can tomorrow. There's still work to do."

_I hope that man is out drinking or something... I'm in no mood to deal with him_

When he had reached the shoreline, he hopped out into the shallow waves and ran the boat up the beach the rest of the way to the docks. There he took the rope and tied a knot round the pier to secure the craft. It seemed Kairi and Sora had disembarked on another beach. Oh well.

"I guess were not walking home together..." he muttered.

As his wet shoes trudged through the sand, he savored the feeling of the cool air against his skin. He liked the night. He couldn't seem to sleep for very long, so he often took long walks out in the dark, listening to the sound of the wind, gazing up at the sparkling stars. Sometimes he found Kairi awake too and the two of them would lay on the beach and watch for meteors. He never told Sora though, and wasn't sure if she ever mentioned it.

Suddenly, however, Riku felt uneasy, though he wasn't quite sure why, and he snapped to attention, on edge. Something up ahead came into focus and he stopped. It looked like...a figure. Yes, someone was walking slowly up the hill, concealed by a hood. But it was eerie. Because the hem of the cloak covered their feet, it made whoever it was look as if they were simply gliding across the ground. Riku shuddered, though it wasn't a cold night at all.

_What's with this guy? What's he doing out here like this? Don't tell me Wakka's playing some kind of joke on me_

Curious, he crept toward the mysterious figure, careful to keep his steps quiet. As he approached, however, and the outline of a large man could be clearly discerned beneath the folds of that cloak, Riku's eyes darted around for a weapon, his hand settling on the hilt of the wooden sword hanging from his belt.

_I can't think of anyone here who would act this way... Who are you?_

Seeing no better option than the direct approach, Riku decided to make himself known.

"Hey!" he called out, his voice almost causing him to jump as it rang out in the dead night air.

The figure stopped, but otherwise made no move. It seemed to be waiting.

"What are you doing out here?" Riku asked impatiently, his eyes narrowed.

"Going to and fro over this tiny world, and walking the length of it," the figure spoke finally, still not turning around. It was a rich, deep voice. And one that Riku, in all his years on the islands, had never heard before. Just who did this guy think he was?

_**This **__world?_

"Well, there's nothing of interest that way," Riku said with a wave of his hand.

"Is that so?" the figure replied unassumingly.

"That's right. Over that hill is just a small city filled with small-minded people. Trust me," Riku explained a bit bitterly. "There's nothing to see there."

"But there are things of great value which cannot always be seen with the eyes alone-much like the heart, for example," the voice countered.

"So you're searching for something then," Riku ventured. "Have you really come from another world?" he pressed, holding his breath.

"I have been to many. But what would _you _know of other worlds?" the figure retorted, turning to face him at last, looking down at him from the hill. The gesture turned out to be pointless, however, as the face lay in complete shadow, obscured by the deep brown cloak it wore.

Nonetheless, Riku couldn't help but feel like the eyes which lay beneath that hood were fixed upon him now, scrutinizing him intently. Unable to make a reply to the question, Riku looked away.

"I thought as much," the figure said knowingly. "You cannot possibly imagine the wonders which lie beyond the door," the voice replied.

_If he really is from another world...why did he come here? What could he possibly want in this place?_

Riku felt his mouth water. "How?" he muttered breathlessly, his fingers tingling. "Tell me how."

"This world is connected-tied to the darkness," the figure explained cryptically. "But so long as the door remains shut, you will never escape and your efforts will be meaningless," the voice added and Riku's eyes went wide, a gasp escaping his throat.

_It can't be! The door?_

"Yeah? Well, I'm gonna get out there and find out for myself!" Riku declared, clenching his fist. "Me _and _my friends."

"There are costs to such knowledge," the figure cautioned.

"Whatever the price, I'm prepared to pay it," Riku pledged.

The voice chuckled derisively for the first time. It was a horrid, unnatural sound that made Riku feel awful. "Your words are as foolish as your mind."

"Are you calling _me _a fool?" Riku demanded, drawing his wooden sword.

_Could I really take him? He's big... But he doesn't appear to be armed..._

"But what about your friends?" the voice retorted once the fit of laughter had subsided. "Will you force them through _with_ you? To penetrate the darkness is to embrace an existence of solitude."

Riku pursed his lips, taken aback by the suggestion as his sword arm fell limp to his side.

"But come now, this is nothing for children. You are too afraid. Go home to your friends, boy," the voiced challenged. "Play with your toy swords and ships."

Riku grit his teeth angrily, his fist tightening around the hilt of his stick. It was obvious this guy either didn't know who he was, or was so confident in himself he didn't care. Closing his eyes to clear his thoughts, Riku shook his head and fixed his gaze back on the hooded figure above once more. Only, suddenly it wasn't there anymore, as if they had simply vanished.

_Huh? But where did they-_

Riku took off running up the hill, digging his feet in and kicking off to gain distance as quickly as possible. Reaching the top, he whirled around bewildered, searching for any sign of the mysterious visitor. Finally resigning himself, he kicked up a patch of grass in frustration, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

"He's probably just some crazy hermit," Riku reasoned to himself. "That's why I've never seen him before. Someone who didn't want to be found. It doesn't matter though. We _have _our raft. We'll load the rest of the supplies tomorrow and set sail. Then we'll be rid of this place for good.

"Coward!" Riku spat for good measure, pausing a moment to listen to the night air before finally turning towards the nearby street to head home.


End file.
